Fix a Flat Pattern: Add Texture the Right Way

Have you ever finished a pattern and thought: something is just not working?

If your motifs are good and your colors are good, but the pattern still looks “off,” there’s a high chance the issue is the ground — not your artwork.

This is the fix I use most often:

The real problem: your ground is separating everything

DO THIS

• Look at your pattern and ask: Do my motifs feel connected to the ground?

• If they look like they’re floating, you don’t need new motifs.

• You need a ground that helps the eye move through the design.

NOT THAT

• Moving everything closer

• Adding more motifs as “filler”

• Changing the color palette. Keep the palette that works for the collection

One simple solution: add quiet texture to the ground or motifs

Texture isn’t just decoration. It’s structure.

A good texture:

• reduces the “empty white space problem”

• makes motifs feel like they belong in the same world

• creates cohesion without stealing attention

The “Ink + Sun” texture rules (simple + practical)

DO THIS

• Keep your texture subtle enough that it reads as texture, not a new pattern.

• Use texture to support the main motifs.

• Test your texture at end-use scale (not zoomed-in designer scale).

NOT THAT

• Scaling textures so large they compete with the motifs.

• Adding texture everywhere just to fill space.

• Ignoring contrast - too little and it disappears; too much and it becomes noisy.

Check out another example here: Why Texture Matters

Want my quick cheat sheet?

I made a free PDF: 5 Texture Tips - it explains why texture works, when you don’t need it, and what to try first when something feels off.

Download the free PDF here: 5 Texture Tips

If you try this and post your result, tag me so I can cheer you on and share it, @inkandsun_